Missing Child of Hogwarts
by Lucy Rivers88
Summary: Ralph Hayes was thought to be an epitome of death and destruction. Born the very night Voldemort was resurrected, he was looked at with fear lest he might accidentally curse anyone. When he reached Hogwarts, a girl he knew mysteriously disappeared and students were being attacked brutally in the corridors. With time ticking and no one to trust, Ralph must prove his innocence.
1. Prologue

Ralph Hayes couldn't say he was normal. Not when he was told that he was wizard. Standing in front of the Hogwarts Express, he sighed softly.

A hand rested on his shoulder. It belonged to his father, Arthur Hayes. He ran a sweet shop in Diagon Alley with his sister Marlin. A merger income and a sick wife was enough to send him back to reconsidering about sending his son to the school. Only if ministry hadn't decided to fund his education.

"You seem nervous, son. Is anything wrong at Hogwarts?" he asked.

"It's nothing, father."

Ralph's heart sank as his father lifted his hand off the shoulder. He turned around and gave his father a hug before grabbing his luggage cart.

The platform was packed with people. Slowly, he maneuvered his way to the nearest empty compartment. He put his owl's cage through the open window and headed to the nearest door.

He grabbed his trunk and entered the train.

Everyone who were lingering in the aisle, immediately returned to their compartments at his sight.

Ralph dragged his trunk behind him, ignoring everyone who were shooting fearful glances through the glass doors.

He quickly entered his compartment and slammed the door shut. There was a crunching sound and he turned around to see a crack in the glass door.

He placed his trunk under the seat and took out his wand.

"Reparo." he said, pointing his wand at the cracked glass.

But instead of repairing itself, it shattered.

Ralph cursed under his breath. He put the wand in his pocket and sat down.

There was a soft knocking sound on his window. He opened it and leaned out to talk to his father.

"Take care of yourself, Ralph." he said, ruffling his son's hair and disappearing into the crowd.

Ralph sat in his seat, when he heard the whistle. The train began to move. It turned around the corner and escaped into bright blue sky.

He was busy staring out of the window when he heard a crunching sound. He turned around to see a girl standing outside his compartment.

She opened the sliding door and carefully stepped inside. "Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Ralph. "Everywhere else is full."

He shook his head and the girl placed her shoulder bag on the seat. She rubbed her hands together, looking at the broken window.

"How did this happen?" she asked, glancing at him.

He nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, looking out of the window.

The girl took out her wand and pointed it at the damaged window. "Reparo." she muttered and every piece of glass shot back into its place.

She placed her wand back and sat down on her seat.

They both sat in silence until Ralph spoke. "Are you afraid of me?"

The girl started but immediately replied.

"I don't know but those rumors do mean something."

"I didn't burn down my house when I was six years old. It was a cat that set the curtains on fire. I am not related to Voldemort." he blurted out, angrily.

"You said You-Know-Who's name!" she cried, trying to shift away from him.

"Wait!" Ralph shouted a little too loudly, frightening the girl. "I mean, look at me. I am not like him. I even have a nose."

She busted out laughing, much to his relief.

"You are not as evil as they say. I'm Viola Fischer."

"You know me."

While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.

Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"

Viola shook her head but Ralph looked confused. When the trolley lady went, he stood up.

"What happened?" Viola asked.

"I should have got something."

He exited the compartment to search for the trolley lady. When he finally found her, he bought a pumpkin pasty.

He bit into it when he heard someone's sobs at the end of the coach. He headed down the end and noticed Wrede twins cornering a small girl.

"Aren't you related to the old witch?" Patricia spoke.

"Isn't it obvious? Just look at her robes." Gustaf said.

Ralph swallowed and opened his mouth to say something but closed it. But a tabby cat darted over his feet, causing him to let out a short cry of surprise.

The Wrede twins and the girl turned towards Ralph. Two pairs of grey eyes met black.

"Well, isn't it the cursed student of Hogwarts? It is a pleasure to meet you again." Patricia said, bowing gently.

"Too much formality but I appreciate it. Now get back to your seat before I complain about you to the Head Boy." Ralph said, sternly.

Both of them walked away from him and the girl.

Ralph looked down at the girl who stood sobbing in the corner, her head hung low. He kneeled on the floor to see her face.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked softly to avoid scaring her more.

The girl shook her head.

"I am Ralph Hayes."

"Lauren Metaxas." she replied, as she bend over to pick up the thin tabby cat which returned.

Lauren quickly ran past Ralph, much to his surprise and concern. He decided to be an onlooker to keep her out of trouble.


	2. Chapter 1

Ralph Hayes sat on the bench on Platform 10 on King's Cross station. The Daily Prophet newspaper in his hand was neatly folded to prevent any of the moving pictures to be seen by the Muggles.

His barn owl shrieked in his cage and grabbed attention of a few Muggles on the platform. He eyed them until they looked away.

He hit the newspaper against the bars of the cage. "Shut up, Kiki. You are attracting attention."

Kiki returned a blank look before hiding his head under his wing, falling asleep.

Ralph looked back at the newspaper, his eyes lingering on a certain headline: ' _Cursed Child's Mother Passed away'_

He rolled his eyes but he still read it.

' _Mary Hayes, mother of the supposed reincarnation of You-Know-Who, passed away after suffering from a mysterious disease for eighteen long year. Some say that the disease was a curse that her son placed on her during birth. However, Ralph Hayes refuses to speak up on this issue, deepening the rumor that he is the next Dark Wizard.'_

Ralph hardly finished reading it when the newspaper was snatched away from his hand.

He looked down at a stout and plush looking cat shredding the newspaper into thin strips. Its fur is ochre with dark vertical bars on the torso and forelegs.

Ralph immediately recognised the cat. He shooed it away and watched as it hissed and spitted angrily at him before it darted away. He picked up the torn newspaper and watched as people in photos looked afraid to come back into the frame.

"I apologize for Batu." a voice came.

He looked up to see a bald boy with chocolaty brown complex pushing his luggage cart towards him. He wore thick woollen sweater on a pleasantly warm afternoon.

"Ah, Altan. Seems like the British autumn still gets you." Ralph said with a smile as he threw the shredded newspaper into the dustbin.

Altan stopped the cart and came around to shake hands with his friend.

"Yes, it still gets me." he replied with a wink.

Ralph looked at his pocket watch as sighed. "We have ten minutes to get the platform. Let's hurry."

He and Altan walked through the barrier to reach Platform Nine Three-Quarters.

Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owl shooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.

The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats.

Ralph and Altan pushed their way toward the end of train when the spotted Viola hanging out of the window to wave at them.

"This compartment is empty. Come in, both of you."

Ralph handed over Kiki to her through the window and climbed on the train. He and Altan entered the compartment with their luggage and tugged it away in the corner.

Sarnai slide open the door and came in.

"I am very excited about the last year at Hogwarts. I will be able to start my Aurora training." she squeaked in a thick Mongolian accent, twirling her fingers around a lock of her hair.

A whistle sounded. The train began to move. Ralph saw lots of parents waving at their children on train and felt a sudden pang of pain in his chest. His father couldn't come to drop off his son, because reasons!

"Hey, I heard about your mother." Viola said.

"Huh?"

"I said I am sorry about your mother."

"Oh." was all Ralph said. He didn't want to talk about it. It was one of the worst thing that happened to him that year.

"Did you read the newspaper? There seem to be something really interesting going on between Hogwarts and Ministry of Magic."

Viola handed him the newspaper.

It read: ' _Ministry still not allowed to interfere with working of Hogwarts.'_

Ralph raised his eye brows.

' _Despite being thirteen long years since the second Wizarding war, Hogwart's Head Master, Severus Snape, refuses to let Ministry of Magic interfere with the working of Hogwarts._

 _"I can't trust these corrupt officials anymore." he said when asked in an interview._

 _The irony behind this fact is that he himself was deemed untrustworthy a multiple times by Ministry officials during the second Wizarding War._

 _The vise Head Mistress, Rose Anvil, had nothing to say on this matter. However, she_ _sent her best wishes to the new Minister of Magic, Hermione Granger.'_

"Well I don't think it is anything new." Ralph looked back at Viola, passing the newspaper to Altan.

"How it is not new?" Altan cried. "You know Professor Rose's surname? It's Anvil."

Sarnai rolled her eyes. "Brother, you are such a dunderhead. Everyone knows that. It is no secret."

"But still I don't think it is her actual surname." Ralph mumbled. "I once called her Professor Anvil during the potions lessons and she didn't reply."

Suddenly there was a scratching sound on the door. Ralph went up and opened it.

A tabby cat sat outside the compartment. She meowed at him and rubbed her face affectionately against his shoe. He bend down to reach her when Lauren came running towards them.

She snatched her cat from the floor, not letting Ralph touch her. She quickly apologized and ran back.

Ralph took a deep breath and closed the door.

"Was it Lauren?" Viola asked.

"Yes, although I doubt she likes me as much as her cat does."

"My Ravenclaw friends tell that she is most inwardly drawn person they have seen. But she surely finds trouble in form of Wrede twins. No wonder they are obsessed with her."

Ralph nodded. In pit of his stomach, he knew something bad was going to happen.


	3. Chapter 2

It was getting dark. Ralph could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.

Sarnai and Viola left the compartment when a few Hufflepuff girls called them. Ralph and Altan took off their jackets and pulled on their long robes.

A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way towards the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Ralph shivered in the cold night air. He looked around to see Altan wasn't with him.

Suddenly, a small boy bumped into him. His silver hair shone in moonlight.

"I am sorry. I don't know where to go." he mumbled.

"Is it your first time in Hogwarts?" Ralph asked to get an immediate nod.

Just then, a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Ralph heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.

"C'mon, follow me -- any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

"You see that giant over there. You just need to follow him." Ralph explained.

"Are you sure? My brother tells that he eats children."

Ralph let out a laugh. "I'm sure he told you a lie. Hagrid won't hurt a fly."

The silver haired boy took one last look at him and followed the giant down the narrow dark path.

He was shunted forwards on to the dark rain-washed road outside Hogsmeade Station.

Here stood the hundred or so horseless stage coaches that always took the students above first year up to the castle. Ralph glanced quickly at them, turned away to keep a lookout for Viola, Sarnai and Altan, then did a double-take.

The coaches were no longer horseless. There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts. If he had had to give them a name, he supposed he would have called them horses, though there was something reptilian about them, too. They were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither - vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats.

Standing still and quiet in the gathering gloom, the creatures looked eerie and sinister. Ralph could not understand why the coaches were being pulled by these horrible horses when they were quite capable of moving along by themselves.

"There you are." Altan's voice came, right behind Ralph.

He was followed by Viola and Sarnai.

"What are those things, d'you reckon?" he asked Altan, nodding at the horrible horses as the other students surged past them.

"What things?"

"Those horse things?" Ralph said, as he and Altan made for the carriage in which Sarnai and Viola were already sitting.

"What horse things?"

"Those horse things that are pulling the carriage." Ralph was impatient.

Altan was alarmed. "Are you alright? You know those carriages are horseless."

He blinked. "Umm... If say... let's get into the carriage."

He gave a last look at the horse before getting into the carriage.

Rattling and swaying, the carriages moved in convoy up the road. They passed between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars on either side of the gates to the school grounds.

Hogwarts Castle loomed ever closer: a towering mass of turrets, jet black against the dark sky, here and there a window blazing fiery bright above them.

The carriages jingled to a halt near the stone steps leading up to the oak front doors.

The Entrance Hall was ablaze with torches and echoing with footsteps as the students crossed the flagged stone floor for the double doors to the right, leading to the Great Hall and the start-of-term feast.

The four long house tables in the Great Hall were filling up under the starless black ceiling, which was just like the sky they could glimpse through the high windows.

Candles floated in midair all along the tables, illuminating the silvery ghosts who were dotted about the Hall and the faces of the students talking eagerly, exchanging summer news, shouting greetings at friends from other houses, eyeing one another's new haircuts and robes.

Again, Ralph noticed people putting their heads together to whisper as he passed; he gritted his teeth and tried to act as though he neither noticed nor cared.

He sat down at Slytherin table while his friends drifted off to Hufflepuff table.


	4. Chapter 3

A few seconds later, the doors from the Entrance Hall opened. A long line of scared-looking first-years entered, led by Professor Rose, who was carrying a stool on which sat an ancient wizard's hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim.

The buzz of talk in the Great Hall faded away. The first-years lined up in front of the staff table facing the rest of the students, and Professor Rose placed the stool carefully in front of them, then stood back.

The first-years' faces glowed palely in the candlelight. The small silver haired boy right in the middle of the row looked as though he was trembling.

The whole school waited with bated breath. Then the rip near the hat's brim opened wide like a mouth and the Sorting Hat burst into song:

In times of old when I was new

And Hogwarts barely started

The founders of our noble school

Thought never to be parted:

United by a common goal,

They had the selfsame yearning,

To make the world's best magic school

And pass along their learning.

'Together we will build and teach!'

The four good friends decided

And never did they dream that they

Might some day be divided,

For were there such friends anywhere

As Slytherin and Gryffindor?

Unless it was the second pair

Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?

So how could it have gone so wrong?

How could such friendships fail?

Why, I was there and so can tell

The whole sad, sorry tale.

Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach just those

Whose ancestry is purest.'

Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll teach those whose

Intelligence is surest.'

Said Gryffindor, 'We'll teach all those With brave deeds to their name,'

Said Hufflepuff, Til teach the lot,

And treat them just the same.'

These differences caused little strife

When first they came to light,

For each of the four founders had

A house in which they might

Take only those they wanted, so,

For instance, Slytherin

Took only pure-blood wizards

Of great cunning, just like him,

And only those of sharpest mind

Were taught by Ravenclaw

While the bravest and the boldest

Went to daring Gryffindor.

Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,

And taught them all she knew,

Thus the houses and their founders

Retained friendships firm and true.

So Hogwarts worked in harmony

For several happy years,

But then discord crept among us

Feeding on our faults and fears.

The houses that, like pillars four,

Had once held up our school,

Now turned upon each other and,

Divided, sought to rule.

And for a while it seemed the school

Must meet an early end,

What with duelling and with jighting

And the clash of friend on friend

And at last there came a morning

When old Slytherin departed

And though the fighting then died out

He left us quite downhearted.

And never since the founders four

Were whittled down to three

Have the houses been united

As they once were meant to be.

And now the Sorting Hat is here

And you all know the score:

I sort you into houses

Because that is what I'm for,

But this year I'll go further,

Listen closely to my song:

Though condemned I am to split you

Still I worry that it's wrong,

Though I must fulfil my duty

And must quarter everv year

Still I wonder whether Sorting

May not bring the end I fear.

Oh, know the perils, read the signs,

The warning history shows,

For our Hogwarts is in danger

From external, deadly foes

And we must unite inside her

Or we'll crumble from within

I have told you, I have warned you…

Let the Sorting now begin.

The Hat became motionless once more. Applause broke out, though it was punctured, for the first time in Ralph's memory, with muttering and whispers. All across the Great Hall students were exchanging remarks with their neighbours, and Ralph, clapping along with everyone else, knew exactly what they were talking about.

The Sorting Hat usually confined itself to describing the different qualities looked for by each of the four Hogwarts houses and its own role in Sorting them. Ralph could not remember it ever trying to give the school advice before.

Professor Rose lowered her eyes to her long piece of parchment and called out the first name.

"Wrede, William."

The terrified-looking boy Ralph had bumped into at the platform earlier stumbled forwards and put the Hat on his head. The Hat considered for a moment, then the rip near the brim opened again and shouted:

"Slytherin!"

William walked down the Slytherin table and sat down between the Wrede twins.

 _Oh, so he is their younger brother._ Ralph thought.

Slowly, the long line of first-years thinned. In the pauses between the names and the Sorting Hat's decisions, Ralph could hear his stomach rumbling loudly. Finally, 'Zeller, Rose' was Sorted into Hufflepuff, and Professor Rose picked up the Hat and stool and marched them away as Professor Snape rose to his feet.

"Welcome back to another year of Hogwarts." he began in a monotone voice, keeping his body as stiff as plank. "The feast may begin now."


	5. Chapter 4

Ralph clapped and cheered with others but he didn't knew whether to laugh at Headmaster Snape or not.

"Don't you want to eat?" Bloody Baron asked as he sat beside him.

Ralph shook his head to bring himself out of his thoughts and looked at the table.

The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. There was roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy and ketchup.

He ate as much as he wanted, feeling something was off. He looked at the teacher's table. His eyes lit first upon Professor Snape, sitting in his high-backed golden chair at the centre of the long staff table, wearing his usual black robes.

Ralph blinked. _Is it only me or he is looking younger than before?_

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O and rice pudding.

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Rose got to her feet. The hall fell silent.

"Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Rose.

She gave his wand a little flick, as if she was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Rose, "and off we go!"

And the school bellowed:

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot."

"And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

Ralph waited for sometime, then stood up and followed the remaining students out of the Great Hall. He and his friends assembled later on the staircase where they usually met after dinner to talk.

"Did you see that Snape was smiling?" Viola asked.

"When?" Ralph, Altan and Sarnai asked together.

"When he was talking to Professor Rose. I don't know if it is true or not but I feel there is something peculiar about those two."

"Is it possible that they love each other? I mean I have seen them together a lots of time." Altan said.

"Ahh, then I would ship them." Sarnai said. "Snape and Rose. We would make a lovely couple."

An image raced past Ralph's mind, causing him to shudder with cringe of it.

"Great Merlin's pants!" he cried. "This is so gross."

"I am sorry if you think I offended anyone." Sarnai said, slightly alarmed at his reaction.

"No, it isn't your fault. It's just that you wouldn't want to imagine what I did. It was gross, cringy and next to impossible even though they love each other."

"I don't think they would even touch each other, let alone kiss." Altan commented.

Ralph and Viola looked at each other, realizing that their Mongolian friends were too pure for the world.

"Yeah, something close to that."

Sarnai yawned and decided to leave. Viola and Altan followed her to Gryffindor tower while Ralph dragged his heavy feet to the dungeons.

He walked deeper under the school and paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall.

"Crucio."

The stone door concealed in the wall slid open.

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains.

A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs.

He ignored everyone and went to his room. Five four-posters hung with deep green, velvet curtains. His trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, he pulled on his pajamas and fell into bed.


End file.
